[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 125 (Monday, June 30, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 36860-36861]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-15174]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Railroad Administration

[Docket No. FRA 2014-0011-N-13]


Proposed Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment 
Request

AGENCY: Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), Department of 
Transportation (DOT).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 and its 
implementing regulations, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) 
hereby announces that it is seeking an extension of the following 
currently approved information collection activities. On May 7, 2014, 
the Secretary of Transportation issued Emergency Order Docket No. DOT-
OST-2014-0067 (EO), requiring affected railroad carriers to provide 
certain information to the State Emergency Response Commissions (SERCs) 
for each State in which their trains carrying 1 million gallons or more 
of Bakken crude oil travel. The information collection activities 
associated with the Secretary's Emergency Order received a six-month 
emergency approval from OMB on May 10, 2014. FRA seeks a regular 
clearance (extension of the current approval for three years) while it 
is determining the proper course of action to take after a recent 
series of train accidents involving the transportation petroleum crude 
oil, a hazardous material the transportation of which is regulated by 
the Department of Transportation. Before submitting these information 
collection requirements for clearance by the Office of Management and 
Budget (OMB), FRA is soliciting public comment on specific aspects of 
the activities identified below.

DATES: Comments must be received no later than August 29, 2014.

ADDRESSES: Submit written comments on any or all of the following 
proposed activities by mail to either: Mr. Robert Brogan, Office of 
Safety, Planning and Evaluation Division, RRS-21, Federal Railroad 
Administration, 1200 New Jersey Ave. SE., Mail Stop 17, Washington, DC 
20590, or Ms. Kimberly Toone, Office of Information Technology, RAD-20, 
Federal Railroad Administration, 1200 New Jersey Ave. SE., Mail Stop 
35, Washington, DC 20590. Commenters requesting FRA to acknowledge 
receipt of their respective comments must include a self-addressed 
stamped postcard stating, ``Comments on OMB control number 2130-0604.'' 
Alternatively, comments may be transmitted via facsimile to (202) 493-
6216 or (202) 493-6497, or via email to Mr. Brogan at 
[email protected], or to Ms. Toone at [email protected]. Please 
refer to the assigned OMB control number in any correspondence 
submitted. FRA will summarize comments received in response to this 
notice in a subsequent notice and include them in its information 
collection submission to OMB for approval.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Robert Brogan, Office of Planning 
and Evaluation Division, RRS-21, Federal Railroad Administration, 1200 
New Jersey Ave. SE., Mail Stop 17, Washington, DC 20590 (telephone: 
(202) 493-6292) or Ms. Kimberly Toone, Office of Information 
Technology, RAD-20, Federal Railroad Administration, 1200 New Jersey 
Ave. SE., Mail Stop 35, Washington, DC 20590 (telephone: (202) 493-
6132). (These telephone numbers are not toll-free.)

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), 
Public Law 104-13, sec. 2, 109 Stat. 163 (1995) (codified as revised at 
44 U.S.C. 3501-3520), and its implementing regulations, 5 CFR part 
1320, require Federal agencies to provide 60-days notice to the public 
for comment on information collection activities before seeking 
approval for reinstatement or renewal by OMB. 44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A); 
5 CFR 1320.8(d)(1), 1320.10(e)(1), 1320.12(a). Specifically, FRA 
invites interested respondents to comment on the following summary of 
proposed information collection activities regarding (i) whether the 
information collection activities are necessary for FRA to properly 
execute its functions, including whether the activities will have 
practical utility; (ii) the accuracy of FRA's estimates of the burden 
of the information collection activities, including the validity of the 
methodology and assumptions used to determine the estimates; (iii) ways 
for FRA to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information 
being collected; and (iv) ways for FRA to minimize the burden of 
information collection activities on the public by automated, 
electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or 
other forms of information technology (e.g., permitting electronic 
submission of responses). See 44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)(I)-(iv); 5 CFR 
1320.8(d)(1)(I)-(iv). FRA believes that soliciting public comment will 
promote its efforts to reduce the administrative and paperwork burdens 
associated with the collection of information mandated

[[Page 36861]]

by Federal regulations. In summary, FRA reasons that comments received 
will advance three objectives: (i) Reduce reporting burdens; (ii) 
ensure that it organizes information collection requirements in a 
``user friendly'' format to improve the use of such information; and 
(iii) accurately assess the resources expended to retrieve and produce 
information requested. See 44 U.S.C. 3501.
    Below are brief summaries of three currently approved information 
collection activities that FRA will submit for clearance by OMB as 
required under the PRA:
    Title: Secretary of Transportation Emergency Order Docket No. DOT-
OST-2014-0067.
    OMB Control Number: 2130-0604.
    Abstract: As noted in the summary above, on May 7, 2014, the 
Secretary of Transportation issued Emergency Order Docket No. DOT-OST-
2014-0067 (EO), requiring affected railroad carriers to provide certain 
information to the State Emergency Response Commissions (SERCs) for 
each State in which their trains carrying 1 million gallons or more of 
Bakken crude oil travel. This EO is available through the Department's 
public docket system at www.regulations.gov, under Docket No. DOT-OST-
2014-0067. The EO took effect immediately upon issuance, although 
affected railroads were permitted 30 days to provide the required 
information to the SERCs. The EO is the Department's direct and 
proactive response to a recent series of train accidents involving the 
transportation of petroleum crude oil, a hazardous material the 
transportation of which is regulated by the Department. The most recent 
accident occurred on April 30, 2014, when a train transporting 
petroleum crude oil derailed in Lynchburg, Virginia and released 
approximately 30,000 gallons of its contents into the James River. 
Further, the EO explains that, with the rising demand for rail 
transportation of petroleum crude oil throughout the United States, the 
risk of rail incidents has increased commensurate with the increase in 
the volume of the material shipped and that there have been several 
significant derailments in both the U.S. and Canada over the last 
several months causing deaths and property and environmental damage 
that involved petroleum crude oil. DOT emergency orders are rare and 
the EO itself describes the most recent accidents and circumstances 
leading the agency to issue the EO. The collection of information 
included under this EO is aimed at ensuring that railroads that 
transport in a single train a large quantity of petroleum crude oil (1 
million gallons or more), particularly crude oil from the Bakken shale 
formation in the Williston Basin, provide certain information to the 
relevant SERCs in each State in which the railroad operates such 
trains. Ensuring that railroads provide this information to SERCs is 
critical to ensuring that local and State emergency responders are 
aware of the large quantities of crude oil that are being transported 
through their jurisdictions and are prepared to respond to accidents 
involving such trains should they occur.
    Form Number(s): N/A.
    Affected Public: Businesses.
    Frequency of Submission: One-time; on occasion.
    Respondent Universe: 47 Railroad Carriers; 50 State Emergency 
Response Commissions (SERCs).
    Reporting Burden:

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                                     Respondent
     Emergency order item No.         universe         Total annual         Average time per       Total annual
                                     (railroads)        responses               response           burden hours
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(1) RR Notification to SERCs.....              47  120 written          30 hours................          3,600.
                                                    notifications.
(2) Updated RR Notification to                 47  25 updated written   4 hours.................            100.
 SERCs.                                             notifications.
(3) Notification Copies to FRA...              47  10 notification      60 minutes..............             10.
                                                    copies.
(4) Requests to RRs by SERCs for               47  30 informational     30 minutes..............             60.
 Information from Local Emergency                   assistance
 Response Agencies Regarding the                    requests + 30
 Volume and Frequency of Train                      informational
 Traffic Implicated by this                         responses.
 Emergency Order within that
 Agency's Jurisdiction and RR
 Responses.
(5) Petitions to the Secretary/                47  4 relief petitions.  2 hours.................              8.
 FRA Administrator for Relief
 from This Emergency Order.
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    Total Estimated Responses: 219.
    Total Estimated Annual Burden: 3,778 hours.
    Status: Regular Review.
    Pursuant to 44 U.S.C. 3507(a) and 5 CFR 1320.5(b), 
1320.8(b)(3)(vi), FRA informs all interested parties that it may not 
conduct or sponsor, and a respondent is not required to respond to, a 
collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB 
control number.

    Authority:  44 U.S.C. 3501-3520.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on June 24, 2014.
Erin McCartney,
Acting Chief Financial Officer.
[FR Doc. 2014-15174 Filed 6-27-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-06-P